'Fallen' but not broken

Looking past the questionable use of Times New Roman in place of a band logo on its otherwise tasteful cover, the latest offering from black metal iconoclast Varg Vikernes is everything we’ve come to expect from a Burzum album.

“Fallen” is the second album Vikernes has released since his own release from Norwegian federal prison in 2009. He served 16 years of a 21-year sentence for the murder of fellow black metal luminary Øystein “Euronymous” Aarseth, and though he released a pair of experimental ambient albums from jail, he remained almost entirely cut off from the scene during his incarceration.

It’s somewhat surprising, then, that “Fallen” is one of the freshest black metal albums in years.

Vikernes infuses the raw, entrancing sound he honed on records like “Hvis Lyset Tar Oss” and “Filosofem” with folk elements far less subtle than on past Burzum releases. The result is a more fulfilling experience than “Belus,” his first post-prison album, which at times rivals the greatest work of his ’90s golden days.

Thanks to Vikernes’ controversial past, Burzum always inspires debate about the separation of art and artist. An album with cuts as choice as “Jeg Faller” (“I Am Falling”) and “Valen” (“Fallen”) makes the separation all the easier.